Each of two volcanoes deep in the mountain range was occupied by a group of fire-attribute Devil Beasts, and intelligence reports indicated that one of them was home to a Fourth-Rank Great Devil.
Although the other group did not have a Fourth-Rank Great Devil, there were numerous Devil Beasts in the late stages of the Third Rank, and they were the ferocious Venomous Fire Pythons!
These were exceptionally tricky creatures to deal with, naturally emitting a toxic fire evil aura that pervaded their habitat, forming a natural barrier that warded off other Devil Beasts. Even if the Venomous Fire Pythons were exterminated, the evil aura would linger for many years!
Why was the Venomous Fire Python group, which lacked a Fourth-Rank Devil, able to occupy a large volcano? The reason was precisely this; the strength of the Venomous Fire Python group was not that formidable—any Fourth-Rank Great Devil could annihilate them.
